Jakarta – The Narrative Advocacy Team has handed over a petition calling for a full investigation into the recent hacking of Narrative Media staff social media accounts to the Presidential Staff Office (KSP). The petition was signed by 16 thousand people.
The petition was handed over by representatives of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), the Legal Aid Institute for the Press (LBH Pers) and the Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet). The petition was given to Deputy Presidential Chief of Staff Jaleswari Pramodhawardani.
"We are asking the KSP to monitor the Narrative case which has already been reported to the national police headquarters criminal investigations directorate, including digital attacks which have previously befallen Tempo and Tirto", said AJI General Chairperson Sasmito Madrim in an official AJI press release on Monday October 10.
Madrim said that the case must be solved transparently and impartially and urged law enforcement officials to ensure that the perpetrators of digital attacks against journalists and the mass media be prosecuted.
SAFEnet Executive Director Damar Juniarto said that the Narrative case should be used as momentum to uncover the key perpetrators of attacks against the press. He believes that cyber attacks against journalists have been getting worse every year.
Pramodhawardani, who accepted the petition, took the opportunity to promise that the KSP would follow up on the groups' aspirations. "The KSP will monitor it until it becomes policy at the ministerial level or related instruction", he said.
In late September at least 37 current and former Narrative staff suffered cyber attacks. The hacking began when a staff member received a mysterious message.
Then, one by one the Narrative staff lost control of their social media accounts. The hacking targeted their private Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp accounts. (dhf/kid)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Petisi Desak Usut Peretasan Narasi Diteken 16 Ribu Orang Diberi ke KSP".]
